Nigeria decides to forgo participating in the AFCON qualifier against Libya, as the footballers assert they were abandoned at the airport for an entire night.
The Nigerian national football team, known as the Super Eagles, were planned to face Libya in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Tuesday in Benghazi. However, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) declared that the players decided against participating in the match.
In an Instagram post, the NFF expressed that the squad was stuck at Al Abraq airport outside of Al Bayda, Libya, overnight. The team was originally intended to arrive over 200 kilometers (around 124 miles) away in Benghazi.
The NFF stated that the ValueJet aircraft was mysteriously and dangerously redirected to the small airport away from Benghazi as the pilot was about to complete the approach to the Benghazi Airport. They also mentioned that Al Abraq International Airport is used only for religious pilgrimages.
The weary players and officials felt helpless as the host Libyan Football Federation (LFF) did not send any reception team or vehicles to pick up the delegation members from the airport and take them to their hotel, reportedly 3 hours away in Benghazi.
The NFF mentioned that transport had been arranged for the team, but it was no longer available due to the flight's diversion.
According to Reuters, the LFF claimed that it holds the highest regard for its Nigerian counterparts and affirmed that the flight diversion was not intentional. The LFF refuted any accusations of foul play or sabotage in this situation.
The NFF previously published a statement dismissing allegations of poor treatment in Nigeria made by Libya captain Faisal Al-Badri and criticized the LFF for generating chaos for their own team last week.
CNN reached out to the LFF, NFF, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for comment.
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong shared on X (formerly Twiter) that the situation was brought about due to "mind games." He expressed that they were detained for over 12 hours in an abandoned airport in Libya, despite their plane being diverted while descending, and the Libyan authorities rescinded their authorized landing in Benghazi with no explanation. They were left without any communication, food, or water.
Troost-Ekong pointed out that they would never treat a guest nation for a game in such a manner. Mistakes and delays can happen, but these actions were deliberate and unrelated to football.
Super Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface also commented on the situation.
The future of the match remains uncertain if it does not happen.
Troost-Ekong later implied that the team and staff were about to depart from Libya and return to Nigeria while suggesting once again that there was an intentional attempt to disrupt the team.
"We would NEVER treat a guest nation for a game in this way," he said. "Mistakes happen, delays happen. But never on purpose!"
The Super Eagles emerged victorious against Libya 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Nigeria on Friday and currently lead Group D with 7 points, while Libya is at the bottom of the standings with 1 point. Benin and Rwanda are placed second and third in the group respectively.
Despite the challenges faced at Al Abraq International Airport, the Super Eagles were keen to continue their successful football journey. Unfortunately, the team's training sessions had to be postponed due to the unexpected circumstances.
In light of the disrupted travel plans and the alleged "mind games," the upcoming football match against Libya in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers became uncertain.
